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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Will Stewart

Ukrainian ballet star Artyom Datsishin dies after being shelled by Russian invaders

Artyom Datsishin

(Picture: National Opera of Ukraine/east2w)

A leading Ukrainian ballet star has died after being shelled by Russian invaders, provoking outrage from one of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre’s biggest names.

Artyom Datsishin, 43, had been in hospital fighting for life for almost three weeks.

The internationally-acclaimed star - an Honoured Artist of Ukraine - had been wounded in capital Kyiv two days after the Russian invasion began.

“On February 26, he was fired upon by the Russian military,” said friend Tatyana Borovik.

“He was seriously wounded and died in the hospital.”

Datsishin had performed the main roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and Romeo and Juliet.

He had toured in Europe and the USA.

Datsishin died in hospital nearly three weeks after he was struck by Russian shelling (National Opera of Ukraine/east2w)

His dance style had “academic expressiveness, romantic elation and psychological depth”.

His funeral was being held in Kyiv today.

Datsishin’s death from Russian fire provoked anger from one of Moscow’s biggest ballet names, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet.

“I am furious,” he said, adding that Datsishin’s death at the hands of Russian invaders provoked “unbearable pain”.

“Artyom Datsishin, a principal dancer with the National Opera House of Ukraine, died today in the Kyiv hospital from wounds received on February 26 when he got under Russian artillery fire.

“He was a beautiful dancer loved by his colleagues.

“Unbearable pain.”

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